The present invention relates to display devices and, more particularly, to rotating display devices adapted to hold and display printed material such as magazines and having a stationary table top.
In waiting rooms, sales offices, merchandise display areas and the like, it is often desirable to provide a supply of magazines, sales brochures or other promotional literature to be read by the patrons of the establishment. Typically, such printed material is kept on a table top so that it is easily accessible to all who enter the waiting area, show room or sales office. However, a distinct disadvantage with this method of display is that, as a result of repeated reading and perusal by the patrons, the material soon falls into disarray on the table top, and gives the room a cluttered look. Furthermore, should several types of promotional literature be arranged on the table top in distinct stacks, repeated perusal by patrons will result in a disorganized pile in which it is difficult to retrieve any particular type of printed material.
A similar problem may arise in the home. Chairside or bedside reading tables supporting books and magazines quickly take on a cluttered appearance after the books and magazines have been read and scattered about the table top.
One solution to this problem in the commercial area is to provide wall mounted display racks which comprise a plurality of vertical columns of pockets, each pocket containing a set of printed material of one type, such as sales brochures. However, a disadvantage with this type of arrangement is that the waiting room, show room or sales office is not always designed to accommodate a display rack of such dimensions, and such a display rack is often of necessity placed at a location which is removed from the seating area of the patrons, making it inconvenient for them to reach the material.
Possible solutions to this problem may be found in analogous structures, such as the bookholder disclosed in the Ruddell U.S. Pat. No. 1,930,844; the rotary storage cabinet shown in the Schecter et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,341,226; or the jewelry display stand shown in the Strasser U.S. Pat. No. Des. 270,024. In each of these devices, the items to be displayed are mounted on a rotating drum so that a user may remain stationary and rotate the drum to view all of the items it contains.
However, there are disadvantages with each of these devices if used to display printed material such as magazines and sales brochures. For example, the rotary cabinet of the Schecter et al. patent is designed to store flat items in a radially extending position relative to the drum, making it somewhat difficult to view the outer cover of each item. The same is also true for the bookholder of the Ruddell patent. With the Strasser device, the number of items to be displayed is somewhat limited since the items are arranged in vertical columns and are not held in a shingled relation to reduce the height of the display stand necessary to hold a predetermined number of items in a vertical column.
Accordingly, there is a need for a rotating display stand which is specifically designed to hold magazines, periodicals, sales brochures and the like which has a plurality of distinct pockets for the ordered and organized storage of the printed material. Furthermore, there is a need for a display stand in which the literature can be stored such that the message on the front page or cover of the literature is easily viewed by patrons. There is also a need for a display cabinet which can function as a table so that it can be incorporated into the furniture normally found in waiting rooms, show rooms, sales offices, or as a chairside or bedside table for the home.